Sunday, 6 May 2012

Our four best Compression Tools for Windows/ Mac

Our four best Compression Tools for Windows/ Mac

A
while ago, we talked about compressed files and today we will see which
alternative third party tools you could use instead of the Windows
implemented version. We will compare commercial Shareware tools with
free open-source alternatives. The standard criteria for a good
compression tool are the

·Ability to split compressed files in smaller pieces

·File encryption and password support for archives

·SFX - Self-extracting file formats (so other people won’t need a third party tool to open the compressed file)

·Multilingual support for the major languages

·Extracting the most common file formats for compression tools (Such as RAR, ZIP, ZIPX, 7-ZIP, TAR and ACE)

WinZip

WinZip
is the classical third party tool for creating zip-files. It offers
also other useful functions such as automated backup (only pro) or image
resizing and also comes with the familiar ribbon interface (same as
Microsofts Office 2007/2010). It comes in a standard and pro version –
while the core functions such as zipping and unzipping will be supported
by both versions. Since version 14 they have introduced a new file
format named “ZIPX”, which is by default the ending of the compressed
container file. Due to the fact that this format is new, not many
utilities support it.

Beside
zip-files WinRar offers one of the most common compression formats –
the “.rar” format. It offers a way much better compression than the
zip-format and can be opened by well-known third party programs. It has a
clean interface and supports up to 45 different languages and provides
in addition to its own compression format also the creation of
zip-files. You can also extract a large variety of archive types and
advanced SFX options. On the official Website you could also download
different themes for the interface which are offered with different icon
sizes for the toolbar.

7-Zip
is a powerful and free compression utility for private and commercial
use. It supports several of archive formats, such as the native 7-ZIP
format “.7z” but also “.zip” and “.tar” formats. It’s known for a one of
the best compression-rate for large files and offers an option for
different compression algorithms. The interface, which looks similar to
commercial solutions such as WinRAR, is minimalistic and even an
inexperienced user, could handle it. There is an active community behind
this software which helps you out if there are any questions left.
7-Zip comes mainly for Windows based systems, but offers also packages
for Linux, Macs and other systems. It’s free for commercial and
non-commercial use.

In
its current version 0.666, the website of Free Arc propagate to be
between 2x – 5x faster than programs such as 7-Zip, WinRAR and WinZip.
The functions of that program are quite impressive. It offers also
different algorithms for compression and also for encryption. It’s
native file format is “.arc” which is currently the only file format
which is supported (0.7 will also support “.zip” and “.7z” formats for
compression). The interface might be a bit difficult for beginners, due
to a large possibility of settings which can be done. After the
installation Free Arc integrates itself like other tools into the
context menu of Windows. Like 7-Zip it also supports Themes and is free
for commercial and non-commercial use.